It is a continuing problem to provide systems for securely mounting electrical connectors on support structures, particularly in environments where the connectors must be replaced or interchanged. This is particularly true in situations where the connector is mounted to a support panel, such as in an opening in the panel, to interconnect an electrical device on one side of the panel with an electrical component on the other side of the panel.
For instance, in mobile telephone systems, a base unit is provided with a receptacle for receiving a telephone handset. The handset is battery powered and terminals are exposed on the handset, usually at one end thereof, so that the handset can be mounted on the base unit for recharging or for data retrieval purposes. The exposed terminals at the one end of the handset, when positioned in the receptacle, engage terminals of an electrical connector. The connector terminals interconnect the handset terminals with an electrical component, such as a printed circuit board, within the base unit.
In various electronic devices, such as the mobile telephone system described above, the electrical connector often is subjected to considerable abuse, such as repeated repositioning of the telephone handset into the receptacle of the base unit. Consequently, the electrical connector becomes damaged and/or worn and must be replaced more often than electrical connectors in many other environments. Heretofore, such electrical connectors have been mounted by separate fasteners, and tools, sometimes special tools, are required to install, remove or interchange the connectors. This is time consuming, adds to the cost of manufacturing and assembling the device, and is not consumer oriented.
Therefore, there is a need for a very simple mounting system for electrical connectors of the character described, particularly a mounting system which has latches requiring no extraneous components, and wherein the latches secure the connector in all directions.